Orifice plate mounting



y 1958 w. w. WILSON 2,836,199

' ORIFICE PLATE MOUNTING Filed May 9, 1955 PIE- 1- IN WIN 70R. w LL/AM w w/Lso/v,

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United rates 2,836,199 Patented May 27, 1958 ice @iiiii'iCE PLATE MGUNTING William W. Wilson, Dravoshurg, Pan, assignor to United States dteel vilorporation, a corporation of New Jersey Application May 9, 1955, Serial No. 505,833

3 Claims. (Cl. 138-45) This invention relates to an improved mounting for an orifice plate.

In various industrial applications fluids flow through conduits which contain reduced orifices. In some instances orifices are subject to clogging or abrasive action, either of which leads to inefiicient operation. An example of the former is in the fuel supply line to an annealing furnace fired with coke oven gas. The line contains a reduced orifice just ahead of the burner to produce sufficient gas velocity for proper flame propogation. Tars entrained in such gas tend to deposit on the orifice walls and thus clog the opening. The usual practice in cleaning the orifice involves inserting a suitable tool through an adjacent access opening and mechanically reaming the orifice. This practice has the objection that it gradually enlarges the orifice and causes the burner to operate inefiiciently. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved orifice plate mounting which allows ready removal of the orifice plate for cleaning or replacement when worn.

A further object is to provide an orifice plate mounting in which the plate is held positively between two seating nozzles and yet can be removed readily for. cleaning or other purposes, such as to change sizes.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I have provided improved details of structure, a preferred form of which is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a longitudinal section through an orifice plate mounting constructed in accordance with my invention; and

Figure 2 is a cross section on line 11-11 of Figure 1.

Figure 1 shows an exit pipe 10, an entry pipe 12 and an orifice plate 13 mounted therebetween. The respective pipes can lead, for example, to burner of a gas fired annealing furnace and to a fuel supply. The orifice plate illustrated contains three openings 14, 14a and 14b of different diameters, although it is apparent that a difierent number of openings could be present or that they could be of the same size. With the plate illustrated any one of the openings can be aligned with the pipes to furnish different sizes of orifice therein.

In accordance with my invention, a seating nozzle 15 is threadedly attached to the end of the exit pipe and on its end carries a protuberance 16 which seats within a corresponding socket in the exit side of the orifice plate 13. An internally threaded locking sleeve 17 is loosely received over this seating nozzle and carries a fixed annular flange 1% whose inner face abuts the back end of the nozzle. One end portion of a nipple 19 is received over the seating nozzle and is threadedly engaged with the internal threads in the locking sleeve 17. The central portion of this nipple contains a pair of opposed slots 2% through which the orifice plate 13 extends, the length of the slots being somewhat greater than the Width of the plate. A second seating nozzle 21 is threadedly attached to the end of the entry pipe 12 and on its end carries a protuberance 22 which seats within a socket on the entry side of the orifice plate 13. This latter nozzle is received'within the other end portion of the nipple 19. Beyond the back' end of this nozzlethe entry pipe carries an annular flange 23 preferably welded thereto. A second locking sleeve 24 is threadedly engaged with the latter end portion of the nipple 19 and carries an annular flange 25 whose inner face abuts the flange 23.

When the mounting is assembled, the locking sleeve 17 is placed over the exit pipe 10 and slid back while the seating nozzle 15 is installed. One end portion of the ripple 19 is placed over the seating nozzle, and the locking sleeve is tightened thereon until its flange 18 abuts the nozzle. The locking sleeve 24 is placed over the entry pipe 12 and moved back While the flange 23 and seating nozzle 21 are installed. The latter nozzle then is inserted within the other end portion of the nipple 19. The entry pipe is sprung rearwardly and the orifice plate 13 inserted through the slots 20 in the nipple. These slots have sufficient length to enable the plate to clear the protuberance 16 on the nozzle 15. When the appropriate opening 14, 14a or 1412 is aligned with the pipes, the entry pipe is released, whereupon the protuberances i6 and 22 seat within the sockets in the plate. The locking sleeve 24 then is tightened on the nipple 19 until the flanges 23 and 25 abut.

From the foregoing description it is seen that my invention provides an orifice plate which is positively held between the two seating nipples on opposite sides, and yet is easily removed for cleaning and reinstalled. To remove the plate it is of course only necessary to loosen the locking sleeve 24 and spring the entry pipe 12 back until the protuberance 22 clears the orifice. Although I refer to the pipes 10 and 12 as exit and entry pipes respectively, it is apparent that under some circumstances the direction of flow could be reversed.

While I have shown and described only a single embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that modifications may arise. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the disclosure set forth but only by the scope of the appended claims.

1' claim:

1. The combination, with an exit pipe, an entry pipe aligned therewith, and an orifice plate between said pipes having an opening aligned therewith, of a mounting for said plate comprising seating nozzles attached to the ends of the respective pipes and having protuberances positively engaging said plate, a nipple receiving said nozzles in its opposite end portions and having opposed slots in its walls receiving said plate, the length of said slots exceeding the width of said plate, locking sleeves threadedly engaged with the respective end portions of said nipple and having flanges, and means carried by the re spective pipes abutting the inner faces of said flanges, said plate being removable through said slots on loosening of one of said sleeves and springing back of the' corresponding pipe.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said plate contains a plurality of openings any one of which can be aligned with said pipes to serve as an orifice.

3. The combination, with an exit pipe, an entry pipe and an orifice plate therebetween, of a mounting for said plate comprising seating nozzles attached to the ends of the respective pipes and being in positive engagement with opposite sides of said plate, a nipple receiving said nozzles in its opposite end portions and having a slot through which said plate extends, locking sleeves en gaged with the exterior end portions of said nipple and having flanges directed inwardly toward said pipes, and.

Reiegences Cited in 1121s file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 341,170 Reese M ay 4, 1886 Huff July 31, 1928 Hamer May 20, 1941 Feighter Aug. 24, 1954 Greenwood May 31, 1955 Lipson July 5, 1955 

